British Values and Culture

Our tribute to Remembrance Day 2015

Together we Inspire and Discover

The Department for Education has recently reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”

The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values were reiterated in 2014.

As a school we aim to value and celebrate every member of our school community regardless of race, gender, religion and culture.

As part of our British heritage, we aim to celebrate culture, traditions and customs, learning about and from other people and celebrating our exciting history.

Children learn about being part of Britain from different perspectives, looking at the physical and historical structures that have shaped our society as well as the social and political perspectives that continue to change and develop our country. We encourage the children to take part in school excursions to different parts of the country and explore what makes Britain great.

Democracy

There are many opportunities for the children, staff and parents to share their voices, views and opinions here at Rendlesham Primary School.

At the start of each year, children work together as a class to establish a set of class rules which are drawn up and signed by all members of the class.

The children have an active school council where they share the thoughts of their peers, accept responsibility for any changes that need to be implemented and make decisions for the whole school. The school council is elected in a class vote where candidates are encouraged to give a short speech as to why they would be suitable for the role of councillor. This is then followed by a secret ballot to determine the winner.

We also have an ECO- council who work to raise issues related to their school environment and strive to make us aware of the impact we have on the planet. They have their own action plan, raise money and lead assemblies to raise awareness. Again the council is elected after a democratic vote.

The Governing Body provides representation for parents and teachers alongside appointees of elected local authorities. Governors have considerable responsibilities and their decisions are significant in many aspects of school life.

For the parents, the Senior Leadership Team lead a Parent’s Forum monthly, enabling them to share their views and discuss any issues surrounding their children and the views of others. They have set up class social media pages where issues can be discussed and these are managed by groups of parents within each class.

The FORS (PTA) group plan and lead events in the school which include traditional Spring and Christmas fairs, discos and other events within the community. The committee is elected through a voting system and all parents are encouraged to become involved. The committee is re-elected/ reviewed annually.

Pupils are always listened to by adults and are taught to listen carefully, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard. We encourage pupils to take ownership of not only their school but also of their own learning and progress. This encourages a heightened sense of both personal and social responsibility and is demonstrated on a daily basis by our pupils. Children in key stages 1 and 2 can talk confidently about how to challenge themselves in their learning and can recognise when they need to move their learning forward.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, is consistently reinforced and referred to.

From an early age, pupils are taught the rules of the school through our Rainbow Rules, classroom rules and our school values. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind rules and laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves, and the consequences when laws are broken. Through our whole school approach, we enable children to develop the language and strategies to solve conflict and to right wrongs. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service help to reinforce this message.

At Rendlesham, we offer a wide range of exciting opportunities for children to be leaders in many contexts, and they understand that the rules they have created are there to keep them safe and happy in all the learning they take part in. This extends to visits and learning outside of the school, acting as ambassadors while on school trips. This level of responsibility and understanding from our children means that teachers can organise engaging and exciting school trips, such as a residential in France and visits to historical sites in London.

Individual Liberty

Alongside rules and laws, we promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs. Within the supportive environment and an empowering education programme, we provide the boundaries and opportunities for our families to make choices safely; choices about their learning, choices of activities and choices around their participation in extra-curricular activities.

We encourage children to take responsibility for their behaviour as well as knowing their rights. We aim to ensure the protection of vulnerable pupils and implement a strong anti-bullying culture. We advise how to use the internet safely through e-safety sessions across the school and explore rights and individual responsibility through PSHE and citizenship lessons.

As a school we believe in the importance of forgiveness and trying to put things right if they go wrong.

Mutual Respect and Tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs.

Mutual respect is at the heart of our school ethos. Our pupils know and understand that it is expected that respect is shown to everyone, whatever differences they may have, and to everything, whether it is a school resource or personal belonging. Children learn that their behaviour choices have an effect on their own rights and the rights of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect.

We help pupils to acquire an understanding of, and respect for, their own and other cultures and ways of life. Within the curriculum, we explore different places of worship and discuss differences between family situations in the different faith communities.

Due to the fact that we do not serve an incredibly culturally diverse area, we endeavour to promote and celebrate different backgrounds and beliefs through our curriculum, assemblies and teaching.

Commitment to charity work:

The school encourages families and pupils to participate in and support charities nationally and locally, taking part in events for Children in Need, Comic Relief, cancer charities and local projects. This reinforces that there are large numbers of people both at home and overseas who are much less fortunate than ourselves who need our support.

Sadly, no school can guarantee that there will never be instances which are contrary to this value however, at Rendlesham such instances are extremely rare. Any instances are treated seriously in line with our Behaviour, Discipline and Bullying policy.